Lola (2024)

Lola James is an exotic dancer with a cocaine addiction by night and a drugstore clerk by day. She works the two jobs constantly in hopes of moving to Texas so her genderfluid nine-year-old brother Arlo can go to art school. Their mother Mona, a fanatically religious narcissist, heaps homophobic verbal abuse on Arlo when he shows interest in makeup. After witnessing her mother sexually abuse Arlo, Lola packs their bags and moves them in with her coworker and best friend, Babina, and Babina's mother, Pearl. Just as Lola is about to save up the money to move with her brother, she is fired from her drugstore job after her coworker catches her shoplifting. Lola returns to Mona's house to get their dog, Mikey, and is raped by Trick, Mona’s boyfriend. Mona figures out where Arlo is and comes back for him against Lola's wishes. That night, Mona cuts off Arlo's long hair in fear of him being transgender, telling him that God will hate him. An upset Arlo runs away and is hit by a car and killed. Lola is devastated; Mona, meanwhile, blames Lola for his death. Lola numbs her grief with cocaine, and as her addiction worsens she begs Malachi for a fix, breaking down after he refuses. Lola gets sick and takes a pregnancy test that reveals that she is now pregnant with Trick's child. She decides to keep the baby and promises Babina that she will stay clean. The next day, Malachi drives her to an addiction support group meeting. Lola's pregnancy becomes visible and a coworker at the strip club shows admiration for her keeping the baby. Babina supports her by reading about having a child and getting her job back. Lola runs into her mother at the pharmacy she works at and tells her who her child's father is, to Mona's dismay. The girls from Lola's strip club give her some money. She shares her story at her last meeting with the support group. Babina drives Lola to the bus station to start her new life and they have a tearful goodbye. Years later, Lola is shown to be having fun with her daughter and Malachi at a carnival.